Dog Groomer Salary

Dog Groomer Salary In The United States

Dog grooming and bathing is an industry that has been growing significantly over the past several years. The process of dog grooming itself is very complex, as it involves the careful bathing and brushing of the dog followed by grooming the hair and styling it. The median expected yearly wage of an animal groomer and bather in the United States of America is of $32,000, and it usually requires only a high school diploma or an equivalent coupled with on the job training.

Pay Scale In Different Parts Of The United States

As you may have noticed already, the salary of a professional dog groomer and bather can vary greatly across the United States of America. In spite of the fact that these professionals usually low fairly low wages, they can increase their annual salaries by starting their own beauty salons for pets. As the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics has shown, dog groomers and bathers along with other professional animal caretakers earn the highest salary in the states of Hawaii and the District of Columbia. Professionals who work here should expect to receive a salary that is above the median wage.

Dog Groomer Job Description

The dog groomer is a skilled and trained professional who before any formal training, must have an innate passion and love for dogs. These professionals have a series of complex duties, and the basic daily duties of a typical dog groomer include bathing and clipping the dogs from a variety of different species. These professionals must be up to date with the latest styles in terms of hair care for dogs, they must detangle the hair of the four-legged customers, dry their coat as well as check for parasites, if any. In some cases, it is also the duty of the dog groomer to check for skin irritations and to inform the owner of the dog if there are any. There are less pleasant duties that every dog groomer needs to comply with as well, such as cleaning the ears or the anal sacs of their dog clients. On the other hand, these professionals usually brush their teeth and trim their nails as well.

It is very important for the dog groomer to be very versatile in terms of requests, as some clients may have special requests when it comes to the appearance and hairstyle of their four-legged friends. Also, these professionals must pay great attention to detail and to detect any health problems the dogs may be suffering from.

How To Become A Dog Groomer?

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In 2017, workers with a bachelor's degree or higher had almost twice as muchmedian earnings per week than workers with only a high school diploma*.

*Bureau of Labor Statistics

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If you have a native passion for dogs and you have decided to pursue a career in the field, then you should know that formal schooling and licensing in the dog grooming and bathing industry are not always a must, and you can become a groomer only through apprenticeships and on the job training. Nonetheless, seeking professional schooling followed by accreditation is highly advised if you want to improve your knowledge and your confidence, as well as to provide services of impeccable quality to your dog clients.

The good news when it comes to becoming a dog groomer is that you can opt for a variety of online and correspondence courses and then enroll in either vocational schools or continuing education programs that offer in-depth training in pet grooming. Nonetheless, apprenticeship often turns out to be the fastest, easiest and most efficient way to learn this trade, and even if you do undergo some degree of formal training, you will still need to work for an apprentice for at least several weeks in order to get the hang of this job. In some cases, the formal training may also give you a brief overview of the different types of hair care products that groomers use, marketing tips and hints that will help you grow your business as well as useful advice on effective customer service.

Overall, if you opt for training in the dog grooming you will get in-depth knowledge and valuable skills in various fields that are essential for the dog grooming industry, such as brushing, drying, combing, safety practices, animal behavior and control, characteristics of different dog breeds or how to recognize different disorders of animal skin.

Moreover, these courses typically teach their students how to recognize health conditions as well, and when should they alert the veterinarian or the owner of the pet. In some states, dog groomer may need to get a license in order to administer various tick and flea treatments to the dogs, and these schools typically guide you through the entire process.

Certification

As mentioned above, certification and licensing are not always necessary, although many dog groomers choose to get them these days, and for a good reason. At the time being, there are several different grooming schools that offer certification and training programs to all those who are interested in pursuing a lucrative career in dog grooming and bathing.

If you want to get a certification, then you should know that the American Academy of Pet Grooming is the one that offers them, along with training courses that can range anywhere from 150 hours to more than 600 hours of practice. Overall, the length of the training course can last anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, and the training can take place either online or in a live location.

Dog Groomer Salary In Canada, Australia And The United Kingdom

A dog groomer who is experienced enough typically makes between AU$13,000 and AU$36,000 in Australia, and those who have been working in the field for more than a decade can make as much as $60,000 a year. On the other hand, dog groomers and bathers who work in the United Kingdom have a mean yearly wage that varies between 12,000 and 18,000 pounds, while those from Canada receive an annual salary between C $10,000 and C$21,000, depending on their training as well as their overall level of expertise.

Verdict On Dog Groomer Salary

To conclude, dog groomers are not the best paid professionals in the pet care industry, and most of those who choose to pursue a career as dog groomers or bathers typically do it because of their genuine love for pets, rather than for the money.